Possible Perth -> Sydney trip, departing 18th Nov

Hi,

This is fairly short notice, I realise, but it's becoming increasingly
likely that I will fly to Perth on the 17th of November, purchase a
motorcycle[1], stay overnight and then ride[2] the bike back to
Sydney, departing on the morning of the 18th. This will involve
crossing the Nullarbor, of course, with all the excitement and
boredom[3] that entails.

The purpose of my announcement is twofold:

1. Anyone who has any tips, advice, warnings, etc, feel free to share
them. Yes, even the really obvious things that any idiot would know.
I realise I asked this in this very newsgroup about 3 years ago, and I
will read my earlier thread again, but I really probably mostly mean
to do the trip, this time, so feel free to share anything you feel
like offering.

2. Anyone want to come along? It seems clear that this is a
journey best NOT undertaken alone, at least not the first time. If
you happen to be in Sydney already, surely 2 weeks notice should be
long enough for you to get a bike shipped to Perth in time for your
arrival/departure. One-way airfare to Perth with VirginBlue is about
$235. Or you could find a bike to buy in Perth, like me (so I dunno
about bike shipping details, sorry) and ride that over instead.

If you're in Perth and feel like coming to Sydney, please do. You can
even sleep in my spare room and drink my beer once you get here, if
you like. I live about 2 hours south of Sydney proper, but once
you've crossed the Nullarbor that will seem like a stone's throw.

I think rather than do the ride alone I'll look into shipping the bike
if there are no takers. But then I'm opening myself up to "it wasn't
like that when I sent it" problems, buying a bike sight unseen etc.

Cheers
James

[1] CBR1100XX
[2] I'll mostly be trying to do the trip as quickly as possible, but I
will have a camera with me and might feel inclined to take pictures of
interesting things and scribble down some notes from time to time.
[3] Lots thereof, or so I'm told. Wallow in the nothingness. Should
be very Zen, but hopefully not involving much motorcycle maintenance.

 

More likely leaving on the 20th now, actually.

JR

 

I'm sure nobody will go with you after reading your post.

You're too indecisive and stupid to be taken seriously.

 

Don't Ride between Balladonia & Eucla at night. Kangaroos are VERY abundant
here

Take a LARGE Credit card. Fuel is about $1.50/litre

Plan your trip with very frequent fuel stops. It is Generally a long way
between them.

Take an Ipod.
Take lamb's wool seat thingy.
Make sure you have enough tyres for the trip. You will have to replace them
when you reach Syd anyway

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 3 Nov 2004 06:33:43 +1100

Stop frequently, and talk to people. If you treat it as a long distance
commute you will feel it 4 days wasted.

If you take a bit longer and stop and look at things and chat and
stay in pubs where you can natter to people, you will feel it was 5
interesting days.

Zebee

 

You'll be fine. It's a tar road with a good surface all the way, and
it's not too hot this time of year. You may find yourself fighting
the wind a bit from time to time (I had a howling Northerly trying to
blow me into the sea the whole time).

If you don't intend to camp in a tent, it would probably be a good
idea to pre-book your room at the various Nullarbor roadhouses that
you plan to stop at.

If it were me, I wouldn't plan on more than 750km per day. I find
that 1000km+ per day is OK for 1 day, a little wearying for 2, and
quite unpleasant for 3 or more days.

Oh come on - how old are you? Sheesh!


BTH
(Who has never understood this phobia about riding alone.)

 

I'm sure nobody will go with you after reading your post.

Yes, Bobby, you're very funny and clever. We're all very impressed.
Run along now, the adults are talking.

 

Oh come on - how old are you? Sheesh!

Eh? I've ridden from Sydney to Melbourne alone, and from Sydney to
Brisbane/Toowoomba and back twice alone. My issue with the Nullarbor
trip is that I don't know what to expect - after reading various ride
reports on the net, there's either going to be a nice road with pubs
at convenient distances, or you're perpetually dodging bands of
roaming aboriginals flagging you down to bop you on the head, or
anything on the spectrum between. Hence the first part of my post was
asking for info.

I'm also concerned about what happens if I hit a wedgie/roo or this
bike (which I will be buying the day before I ride it home) shits
itself in the middle of nowhere. Having a riding buddy makes those
kinds of safety issues less of a drama.

Ta for the info, tho (and Fwoar, and Zebee).

JR

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 03 Nov 2004 01:52:47 GMT

Well.. I've done it on a 250, Clare did it last year on a sick V50, it's
not a real drama.

Travel in daylight hours, and the roos aren't out.

If you are going in the heat, take sunscreen, drink lots of water, take
a long sleeved light coloured cotton shirt to wear if the heat gets too
much.

Take a puncture repair kit. Take some basic repair stuff - wire, gaffer
tape, zipties, a couple of nuts and bolts in the most common sizes for
your bike.

If the bike's reliable, the main problem will be boredom.

Zebee

 

Well, the longest gap between mechanics you'll find is about 190km.
And if you *do* break down, there's a seemingly endless stream of
grey-headed folk towing large caravans who are often quite happy to
help, if you ask them nicely.

If you only ride between dawn and dusk[1] you'll avoid the vast
majority of the wildlife. If you see road kill up ahead (and you'll
usually have about 1km of forward visibility), be wary of hawks (big)
and eagles (bigger). The carrion fowl don't seem to bother with emu
carcasses.

If you keep your speed under 120kph you'll be relatively safe from
policemen, and given the long forward visibility you'll also be
relatively safe from wildlife. From memory, there aren't may areas
with dense vegetation right up to the road a la RNP.

If you're concerned about the state of this motorcycle, perhaps it
would be prudent to (a) allow an extra couple of days before departing
Perth to make sure its a goer, or (b) getting Corks/Theo/some other
knowledgeable Perth-based member of our brethren to look it over
before you leave Sydney?


BTH
[1] Or better yet, 1 hour after sunrise to 1 hour before sunset.

 

If you don't intend to camp in a tent, it would probably be a good

Is there a list of them somewhere, distances between etc?

 

er... someone forgot to tell that to a couple of 'roos that Goaty and I
encountered. One just sat on the road until we got real close, but the
other darted out from under the shade of a low bush and darted across in
front of me. almost went under the front wheel.

That's the problem. The little bastards are unpredictable and stupid.
Theo seems to think the same of emus. They are somewhat busier around
daybreak and sunset, so make sure you are off the road before they start
moving.

I agree with everything else Zebee said.

some other stuff....

Travel at a speed where you have a chance of stopping or swerving if
something unexpected runs out in front of you. That something may well
be the first movement you see in hours.

After my first encounter with the wildlife, I felt a bit more
comfortable at 95-100k.

Medical attention can take hours, even on the well-travelled bitumen
road. My little bit of excitement was a quick run back to the nearest
town to get a message to the Flying doctor.

When we came through Caiguna, the servo there told us of an accident
involving a 4WD driver who had come a cropper. They had the RFDS on
standby, awaiting word from the ambo who had to drive up from
Cocklebiddy. By the time we got there, the unfortunate 4WD driver was
in a bad way, and had been lying beside his overturned vehicle for at
least an hour. The ambo was in attendance, but his radio couldn't
raise the nearest town, so they needed someone to carry a quick message
for the RFDS.

Another thing to note about the road across the Nullabor is that for the
most part there is no real road shoulder. if you go off the edge of the
bitumen there is a little bit of loose gravel then rough stuff or soft
sand. Take that into account when planning your evasive manouvers.

I think that is how the aforementioned 4WD driver came undone. He
drifted off the shoulder, his trailer hit the soft stuff, and he swung
back across the road and rolled on the other side.

Someone else mentioned sheepskins. Get one.

There is a dandy neck cooler you can get at some craft places that holds
water. Basically it is a fabric tube a couple of inches wide that has a
few (maybe a teaspoon ful) of those water saving granules you put in
pot plants. when you soak it, they swell up and then release the water
slowly. Tied around the neck it can be a useful cooler.

It can get very cold out there, and very wet, so don't just take hot/dry
weather gear.

From memory, the biggest gap between fuel stations is about 185k. Most
have premium.

Most places also have accommodation.

We didn't stay at the Railway hotel in Norseman, but they are said to be
friendly.

The expensive motel units behind the hotel at Cocklebiddy are not much
better than the cheap ones. If camping, Madura caravan park is less
windswept than the others "nearby".

Streaky bay makes a nice change after crossing the plain. It is a
little friendlier than Ceduna.

Did I mention the sheepskin?

http://www.nullarbornet.com.au/ has some info.

When you get past Port Augusta, you have a problem. Do you turn left
after about 20k and take Horrocks pass (a welcome fast mountain road) or
travel another 40k to Port Germain and take Germain Gorge (a fabulous
tight twisty climb up a deep gorge... Just what your new machine was
built for....)

Take it easy. Enjoy. It isn't a boring place.

Moike

 

Yep. and lots of those grey heads will want to nod wisely while they
reminisce about the bike they used to have.

.... except that forward visibility doesn't help when the 'roo is resting
under the shade of one of the 500 little bushes that line every
kilometer of some parts of the plain. When startled (say, by a
motorbike engine) they can be inclined to dart toward their home
territory, even if that path takes them under the front of a motorbike
or road train.

I'd advise taking it easy. Take an extra day if need be. Have
breakfast before you set out, and don't be tempted to cover just another
200k in the last couple of hours of daylight.

It may seem like a big adventure on a motorbike, but when Goaty and I
did it last year, most of the bikes we encountered didn't have motors......

Moike

 

Why would one "pre-book" if one doesn't "pre-plan"?

 

Ok, then I reckon an oil n filter change regardless would be a goer before
crossing the Nullabor.

Cam

 

Ok, then I reckon an oil n filter change regardless would be a goer before

It's having the 12000k service 2 days before I pick it up, and I'll be
checking obvious forgetful-mechanic stuff like sump plug, filter, axle
nuts etc, as well as normal pre-purchase inspection, test-ride etc.

A blackbird with 12000km's on it has to be a pretty unlikely candidate
for anything major going wrong, but you never know. I'll have a few
maintenance things with me anyway, some oil, lockwire, cable ties,
puncture kit + refiller, etc. Lots of water, sunblock, some food.

From people's descriptions I over-estimated how far it was between
towns.. I was imagining 500+ kms in places. Feeling a bit more
confident about tackling it solo if needed now.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 03 Nov 2004 05:14:58 GMT

You probably won't need oil, that's available, even synth these days.

What you will need is a funnel! Those aren't....

you can do the cokebottle trick, but a largish kitchen funnel is a lot
easier to use and less likely to spill.

Zebee

 

Ahh, you're sorted then! Sounds like you've picked up a decent bike then if
it's worth going to Perth for. If you haven't already got the dead sheet,
sheepy hollow will post one of those universal ones to you pretty cheap.
Only $25 or something plus postage. Custom fit is nice, but not quite worth
the money sometimes. You could of course just take your favourite poof
cushion from the lounge and gaffer tape it on ..... then pretend you're
watching the simpsons all the way back.

Cam

 

I never bother with those fancy tailor-mage jobbies I just buy a skin and
cut a piece of 2" foam-rubber roughly to seat-shape and the contact-cement
it to the skin.
Then I punch a few holes around the circumference and lace it onto the seat
with some cord or long bootlaces.
If you'd seen my ample-arse you'd know it must be working!!
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/bargearse/happyarse.jpg
(And it can be as rough as you like just so-long as it stays put!)
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/bargearse/arse.jpg
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/bargearse/8.jpg
Clem

 

I've actually got one of the Sheepy Hollow ones still in the bag
around here somewhere! Bought it for another bike and didn't end up
using it.. (rummages around in the shed)